Michael Amos★★★★★2 months agoWe stayed here for a weekend on business, and for a hotel charging $250+ per night, I expected a better overall experience.
First, I do want to say the staff was very nice. Anytime we had a question, someone was available and willing to help. That part of the stay was good, and I do not want that to get lost in the rest of the review.
The room itself was clean, spacious, quiet, and away from the city noise. We were on the 22nd floor and had a great view, which we really enjoyed. The room also had extra seating, and the TV had a good selection of free viewing options. The shower had extremely strong water pressure, almost like a pressure washer, which was not necessarily a complaint. The tub was nice, though I personally would have preferred a walk-in shower. The bathroom counter was also pretty high, which may be an issue for shorter guests.
The location and access were excellent. Getting to the River Walk, the convention center, and the Rivercenter Mall was very convenient. That is definitely one of the strongest points of staying there.
The bigger problems were with upkeep and follow-through. There was trash left in the hallway for a couple of days. I also reported sticky liquid spilled in one of the elevators, but it was not cleaned up. Several outlets at the desk did not work properly, so I had to use an outlet across the room. The room also had very poor airflow even though the AC was working. We later found out we could have requested a fan from the front desk, but no one told us that, so we ended up buying one from Target.
Parking was another major frustration. A whole level of parking spaces in the garage was blocked off for power washing, but it either never happened or was not noticeable. Guests are charged $55 per day to park in the hotel’s garage, while the sign at the gate said $49. The front desk told us to keep one room key and use it to exit the garage, but that did not work. We had to press the assistance button and then got questioned while the system tried to charge us another $28+ just to leave. They eventually let us out, but the whole process was unnecessary and frustrating.
In retrospect, I believe registered hotel guests should be able to park for free, or at the very least have parking included in the room rate. I understand charging the general public to park there, especially downtown and near the River Walk, but guests are already paying a lot of money to stay at the hotel. Adding $55 per day just to park in the hotel’s own garage feels excessive.
The escalator down to the river level was also not working, and the in-house food options were pricey. I understand that some checkout charges are city, county, or other required fees and not fully controlled by the hotel, but the final cost still adds up quickly.
Overall, the location is excellent, the room was clean, spacious, and quiet, the view from the 22nd floor was great, and the staff was very nice. However, the experience did not fully match the price. For what we paid, I expected better maintenance, clearer parking communication, and better follow-through on reported issues.